SINGAPORE – Everyone wants more flexibility at work, but for teachers, it may not be as simple, given their daily school schedules.
Still, the Ministry of Education (MOE) is mulling over such requests, especially from younger teachers, and rethinking flexi-work possibilities.
Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said a review, which started at the end of 2023, is studying how to adjust the schedules and workloads of teachers to address “new trends” of wanting more flexible arrangements.
“So, for example, more of the younger generation, and even not-so-young people, want a more flexible lifestyle,” he said.
Another trend MOE has observed is the need for teachers to have more diverse experiences and porosity in their career paths, he said in an interview with The Straits Times on April 24, the last day of the recent International Summit on the Teaching Profession.
More details on the ministry’s plans will come later in 2024.
Mr Chan said the ministry is reviewing the teaching workforce to meet these evolving needs.
For instance, schools could consider having a few “part-time flexi” roles, he said. “The load can vary because of your different seasons in life… I think we can find ways to accommodate.”
Some of this will take some reimagining by schools, said Mr Chan.
“Let’s say we don’t have enough music teachers. How do you bring in resources from the industry to supplement capacity needs?
“We are thinking through all this… about how to have a more versatile workforce but at the same time never losing the ethos of the teaching profession,” he said.
Increasingly, people also want to try different things within their careers, said Mr Chan.
“This is also why we roster people around within the service, within the Government and beyond – to allow them to recharge, bring back something different and new connections.
“It is a challenge and also an opportunity for us to rethink how we can have a more porous career path,” he said, adding that having more mid-career individuals joining the teaching profession with different life experiences can also enrich the fraternity.
About 500 teachers have been matched to roles in sectorssuch as manufacturing, environment, and trade and connectivity under the Teacher Work Attachment Plus programme since January 2022. About 400 of them have completed their attachments.
“We have to always think one or two steps ahead and ask ourselves how to seize some of these opportunities and manage some demands,” said Mr Chan. “It will take effort on the part of the ground leadership. If you manage it well, you have a richer, more diverse environment.”
“The end goal is that the teaching profession is respected and fulfilling,” he added.